If the Moon Smiled
by alexandraa-jane
Summary: Days after coming home from university, Evelyn Lockwood is thrust into Mystic Falls' hidden world of vampires and werewolves. Afraid of her brother Tyler, and what his secret means for her and her family, she walks right into the life of the world's most dangerous predator: the Original hybrid. Klaus is back in town, and he's planning to stay.


Chapter 1 (Prologue): Full Moon

The moon, full and round, spread its milky haze over the Lockwood property. June had just started yesterday, but the air was already warm and heavy and filled with the smells of roses and honeysuckle. Sitting between two of the manor's fluted columns, Evelyn watched the fountain spew water while fingering the pages of a book she'd hardly read.

She'd arrived home from her final year of university the week before, swollen from crying, with a truck full of cheap furniture and overpriced textbooks. Her mother had welcomed her with repressed excitement, quick to berate her new haircut, while her brother hid in the house, only revealing himself that night at supper. Tyler had never been one to welcome guests—family or not—let alone gush, or hug, or cry. She was used to her brother's distance, and mood swings, and was surprised at his friendliness and good humour the last time she'd visited in March. It was all thanks to Caroline Forbes, her mother had said rather dryly. Evelyn wondered if the two had had a falling out; his good mood hadn't lasted.

She placed the book next to her on the porch and stood, stretching her long legs with a yawn. She hadn't seen Tyler since breakfast, when he'd reached over her head for the coffee creamer then fled to God-knows-where without a word. He was back to his old self but even more tense, if that was even possible. He watched her when he thought she wasn't looking, but always stood at least five feet away, as if afraid to touch her.

Evelyn began walking along the edge of the lawn absentmindedly, pushing her hand against the trunks of nearby trees before entering the adjacent forest. She and Tyler used to rule the woods when they were children. At one time they spent every weekend running barefoot down makeshift paths; playing pretend under the shade of old trees; discovering new parts of their family's expansive property. She could almost see an 8-year-old Tyler standing in the clearing before her, telling her to hurry up. He was almost 5 years younger than her, but he had always seemed like the older sibling—traipsing about the ruins of the old Lockwood Estate fearlessly.

The old Lockwood Estate. She hadn't been there in eons.

Peeling off her sweater in an effort to cool down, Evelyn switched directions and headed towards the ruins with purpose, as if they'd bring her back to a simpler time. She only stopped when they were in sight—when her brain caught up with her legs and told her this was far from a good idea. Still, she pushed onwards and, after checking either side of her, walked down the dilapidated stairs and into the underground passageway.

Up until that point, the full moon had been a wonderful flashlight, but now—faced with pitch blackness—she was forced to use her cellphone. Her steps were as slow as the light was dim; the passageway was more rock and dirt than it was manmade, and every second forward was one she should have used to go back. She couldn't help but wonder what the hell her problem was:

There was nothing here. Even if there was, entering the ruins at night, all alone, was something only a crazy person would do.

She stopped, about to turn back. Then she heard it: a low, animalistic rumbling. The sound a threatened dog would make, if the dog was the size of a bear.

The crazy person in her made her turn the corner—made her walk towards the illuminated alcove, towards the sound. First she saw groups of lit, waxy candles, placed in and around the cavern. Then, with one more step forward, Tyler chained against the wall, snarling, spitting, and snapping his jaw right at her. Half man, half wolf.

Before she could listen to more of his bones crack, or decipher the look in his now-yellow eyes, she was pushed out of the cave, down the passageway, and up the stairs—all in less than a second.

Caroline Forbes was standing in front of her, in all her blonde beauty, with eyes the size of saucers. Despite everything—the ruins, her brother, the speed at which she just moved—Evelyn's first thought was something along the lines of: _I guess they didn't have a falling out._

"Evelyn?" Caroline said. Evelyn nodded at her name, but otherwise didn't move. Caroline nodded back in understanding, put her hands against her mouth in thought, and began to pace. Then, as if struck with inspiration, she grabbed Evelyn's shoulders, forcing her to look at her. "You will not remember this. You were taking a walk but you got scared and went home, got it? Now go back to the house. Run. Fast!"

Evelyn ran. Her legs raced almost as fast as her mind did. See, the compulsion would have worked wonders, had her mother not slipped vervain into her morning coffee.


End file.
